Libertarian Party Press Gets Legs

Dear Fellow Libertarian,

Below is a partial listing of web sites and publications that picked up our press release opposing Rand Paul’s endorsement of Mitt Romney.

The press release also stimulated a sizable bump in traffic, inquiries and donations to both the Libertarian Party and the Gary Johnson for President campaign.

Yours in liberty,

Carla Howell

Executive Director

National Libertarian Party

Huffington Post:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/11/rand-paul-hemp-ron-paul-mitt-romney-libertarian_n_1587679.html?ref=elections-2012

MyFox (picked up by MyFox affiliates nationwide)

http://www.myfoxdc.com/story/18746579/libertarian-party-says-rand-paul-betrayed-father-with-romney-endorsement

Politico

http://www.politico.com/blogs/burns-haberman/2012/06/libertarian-party-rips-rand-paul-125707.html

Media ITE

http://www.mediaite.com/online/sen-rand-paul-endorses-romney-libertarian-party-accuses-him-of-betraying-his-fathers-principles/

Daily Paul

http://www.dailypaul.com/238778/libertarian-party-rand-paul-betrays-his-father-s-principles-endorses-mitt-romney

Newsroom America

http://www.newsroomamerica.com/story/253555.html

Atlantic Wire

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/politics/2012/06/ron-paul-supporters-are-fuming-mad-rand-paul/53336/

Raw Story

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/06/09/rand-pauls-romney-endorsement-draws-heavy-fire-from-libertarians/

Prison Planet

http://www.prisonplanet.com/libertarian-party-says-rand-paul-betrayed-father-with-romney-endorsement.html

Democratic Underground

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002792823

FITSNews.com

http://www.fitsnews.com/2012/06/12/libertarians-bash-rand-paul/

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P.S. If you have not already done so, please join the Libertarian Party. We are the only political party with a mission to give voters a choice to downsize Big Government, to do so in the most humane way possible, to greatly reduce taxes, and to slash high government spending. You can also renew your membership. Or, you can simply make a contribution.

How Many Libertarian Party Candidates Do You Want to Elect - this Year?

796 Libertarian Party Candidates ran for office in 2010.

592 Libertarian Party Candidates ran for office in 2008.

With high hopes and the best of intentions, they ran. But very few of them had LP campaign experience. Very few won.

It didn't have to be that way.

With the right Tools and Training and Coaching, they could have done a lot better. Many more of our Libertarian Party candidates could have won.

Do you want that?

Do you want to give a lot more LP candidates a real chance to make progress -- and maybe win?

You do? Great! So do I. And so does our Libertarian Party Chair, Mark Hinkle.

But before we talk about how to successfully do it, let's see WHAT FAILS OR FALLS SHORT.

UNTRAINED LP CANDIDATES. Get a lot of LP members to file for office, wish them well, and give them NO TRAINING. They'll make tons of avoidable mistakes, get stuck, feel unsupported, and do poorly.

UNPLANNED LP CAMPAIGNS. Without a good campaign game plan, our LP candidates and volunteers waste time and money -- and achieve too little.

UNFUNDED LP CAMPAIGNS. NO fundraising or inept fundraising cripples LP campaigns. Money pays for campaign fliers, yard signs, web sites, targeted ads and publicity. Poverty pays for nothing.

UNSTAFFED LP CAMPAIGNS. Motivated, trained LP campaign volunteers make a huge difference. Only a handful of LP activists have experience and skill in recruiting, training, and nurturing volunteers.

That's WHY so few Libertarian Party candidates have broken through.

Will you help us change that? Starting now?

WHAT WORKS. WHAT WE NEED.

'Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish, feed him for a lifetime.' - Proverb

We want to teach our Libertarian Party candidates and campaign workers 'how to fish,' so they can run great LP campaigns time after time, year after year.

AND teach other LP candidates in their cities and states 'how to fish.'

CANDIDATE TRAINING FROM EXPERIENCED, SKILLED LIBERTARIAN PARTY EXPERTS. Not activists who have only worked with Democratic or Republican candidates. Not self-styled 'experts' who haven't spent at least 1,000 hours practicing the skill they claim they can teach.

CAMPAIGN TRAINING FROM PROVEN, SEASONED LIBERTARIAN PARTY CAMPAIGN EXPERTS. Libertarian Party campaigns face radically different obstacles and challenges than Republican and Democratic campaigns. We need guidance from those who have successfully navigated them.

FUNDRAISING TRAINING. Why not the best? Michael Cloud personally fundraised over $5.3 million for LP candidates and organizations between 1995 and 2002. He's agreed to teach LP candidates 'How to Simply and Easily Fundraise the First $10,000 for Your LP Campaign in Just 4 Evenings -  Even If You're Shy.' What's more, he's agreed to mentor and coach LP candidates over the phone - if they run into problems or get stuck.

HOW TO RECRUIT, TRAIN, MOTIVATE, AND NURTURE DOZENS OF VOLUNTEERS FOR YOUR LIBERTARIAN PARTY CAMPAIGN. Whether it's a statewide or local campaign, volunteers make the difference.

DOOR TO DOOR CAMPAIGNING. A Libertarian Party candidate can be elected with less than 1,000 votes in over 30,000 elective offices in the United States.

LIBERTARIAN SOLUTIONS, NOT JUST POSITIONS. Running for office is like interviewing for a job. What will the candidate DO if she is elected? Our LP candidates need to offer simple, credible libertarian solutions to high taxes, high spending, and Big Government programs and policies - and show voters the huge, immediate, direct benefits to them and their neighbors. This is a master key to being taken seriously.

Great News! We are launching Phase 1 of this LP Campaign Tools and Training Project at this Libertarian National Convention.

But ONE-TIME SEMINARS, ONE-TIME TRAINING IS NOT ENOUGH to make sure our candidates regularly, repeatedly do what they learned.

We MUST REGULARLY PROVIDE tools and training for our LP candidates and campaigns.

Will YOU help us teach LP candidates 'how to fish'? Will you help us provide the tools and training for our LP candidates this year? Will you help us train and guide our LP candidates to keep practicing their 'fishing skills'?

796 Libertarian Party Candidates ran for office in 2010.

592 Libertarian Party Candidates ran for office in 2008.

This year, we will have about the same number.

BUT, if YOU HELP, this year they will be better-funded, better-trained, better-equipped - and together we can elect more and more Libertarians to office.

If you can donate any amount, you will be part of this historic effort. Will you please give now?

Your donation is our budget. Your donation means more and better Libertarian Party candidates and campaigns. And more victories, this year. And next.

Please give generously. You're going to love the results.

Thank you.

Carla Howell

Executive Director, Libertarian Party

New American magazine quotes LP’s attack on Mitt Romney's High Government Spending record in Massachuse​tts

Libertarian Party Executive Director Carla Howell is quoted in the current issue of the New American which suggests that many Tea Party members remain unaware of Republican Mitt Romney's voting record (as well as that of Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich) - all Big Government:

 

Carla Howell pointed out, "The Massachusetts state budget was $22.7 billion a year when (Romney) took office in January of 2003. When he left office four years later, it was over $25.7 billion — plus another $2.2 billion in spending that the legislature took 'off budget.' (Romney never reminds us of this fact.) The net effect of budgets proposed and signed into law by Mitt Romney? An additional $5.2 billion in state spending — and a similar increase in new taxes. Every year.”

 

2012 Libertarian candidates for federal office, and especially the eventual Libertarian presidential nominee, have a huge opportunity to inform voters of how Republicans and Democrats are equally guilty of reckless, dangerous high government spending.

 

Libertarian candidates will offer Tea Party enthusiasts and voters everywhere a real choice for much lower government spending, lower taxes and a more stable dollar - all conditions that promote private sector job growth.

 

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P.S. If you have not already done so, please join the Libertarian Party. We are the only political party with a mission to give voters a choice to downsize Big Government, to do so in the most humane way possible, to greatly reduce taxes, and to slash high government spending. You can also renew your membership. Or, you can simply make a contribution.

LP Monday Message: Announcing New E.D., Carla Howell

Dear Friend of Liberty,

 

It has been a pleasure serving as your Executive Director for the past 2 1/2 years. I feel like we've accomplished a lot over this time, and I thank you all for your support of the LP.

 

However, in September I gave 90 days notice that I was leaving the job of Executive Director at the national headquarters in Washington, D.C. at the end of the year because I'm getting married and moving back home to Louisiana.

 

And now, I am delighted to announce, LNC Chair Mark Hinkle hired long-time Libertarian activist Carla Howell to serve as your new Executive Director.

 

Ms. Howell has an impressive resume of political and business experience.

 

Political:

 

o   308,860 votes - 12% of the vote - as Libertarian U.S. Senate candidate against Ted Kennedy and a Republican candidate in 2000. The highest % in party's history for a Libertarian U.S. Senate candidate in a 3-way race (against both a Republican and Democrat). Her campaign raised over $821,000 for that race-an amount unheard of for most Libertarian campaigns.

o   Two-term Massachusetts Libertarian Party State Chair (1997-1999)

o   Organized and ran the most successful regional Libertarian Presidential campaign fund-raiser in party history (Harry Browne, 1996); filled Faneuil Hall and Parker House to capacity in Boston (where John Kennedy announced his 1960 presidential campaign).

o   Successfully fund-raised for and ran 5 Libertarian candidate statewide petition drives in 1998, 2000, and 2002 with 100% success rate in making ballot.

o   Organized and managed two statewide libertarian ballot initiatives to End the Income Tax in Massachusetts in 2002 and 2008. Endorsements from Wall Street Journal, Steve Forbes and National Taxpayers Union. Almost one million votes each time.

o   Featured stand-alone guest on O'Reilly Factor, Neil Cavuto, Glenn Beck, and Fox Business News Happy Hour as well as hundreds of TV interviews and debates during the last 12 years.

o   Covered by Wall Street Journal, New York Times, LA Times, The Economist, and USA Today.

o   Co-founded Center For Small Government which advocates for specific proposals to shrink Big Government.

o   Spearheaded 2010 statewide ballot initiative to roll back the sales tax garnering 966,973 votes - in liberal Massachusetts!

o   Ran against Presidential candidate Mitt Romney for governor in 2002.

 

Business:

MBA 1985, Marketing and Entrepreneurship, Babson College, Wellesley, Massachusetts

Twenty years experience in product/project management, marketing, and software development

 

I am especially pleased that we have found someone with such an impressive background to continue working to build the Libertarian Party and reduce the size of government.

 

I am most impressed by the fact that Carla Howell ran the most successful campaign for U.S. Senate in the history of the LP, and that she got an initiative to end the income tax on the ballot in Massachusetts which almost won with 45% of the vote! Wow!

 

Join me in welcoming Carla Howell to the Libertarian Party national headquarters. Carla can be reached at carla.howell@lp.org.

 

Finally, I want to send out one last LP Monday Message thank you to all of the Libertarian Party activists, donors, candidates and supporters like you. You make the LP what it is.

 

Sincerely,

 

Wes Benedict

Executive Director

Libertarian National Committee

 

P.S.  If you have not already done so, please join the Libertarian Party. We are the only political party dedicated to free markets, civil liberties, and peace. You can also renew your membership. Or, you can make a contribution separate from membership.